Tapia faced extremely wet and windy conditions en route to his first marathon victory against an international field. He became the first American man to win the race since Joe LeMay in 1999.

“The conditions were as bad as it gets from the start to mile 13,” Tapia said. “There was a headwind of anywhere from 20-30 miles an hour with gusts up to 30-40 mph. The rain was in our face pretty much all the way to mile 13, but after that it calmed down a little bit. As ridiculous as it sounds, I was hoping not to get my feet wet, but there was no way.”

Tapia was able to outlast others as the lead pack dwindled to the top three runners. Over the final three miles, Tapia pulled away from Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Alemayehu and Kenya’s Christopher Kipyego to secure his place atop the podium.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Tapia said. “Even as I was getting close to the finish line and I was turning onto ninth street, I looked back and I couldn’t believe that [Tesfaye] Alemayehu wasn’t with me. To cross the finish line first was unbelievable; it was my first major marathon to win.”

In addition to training, Tapia also works in his family’s restaurant while attending law school. Tapia will take his last exam on Thursday.

Now in its 11th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.